Where to find coupon codes for online stores

Save money when you know where to find coupon codes for online stores you love

As an ace bargain hunter, you can search all day and scroll all night and not run out of sites that offer codes that unlock a treasure chest of discounts. Some locations grab more praise than others, with loyal followers and multi-star reviews. All of them work in different ways, and some may handle awkwardly.

Let's explore a few, and walk through their unique features. Which ones your pick will depend on your personal buying habits. Before you visit these, you’ll want to sign up directly for email from your favorite brands and online shopping sites. They will frequently send you splashy notices about their newest events.

These are usually limited in time for certain items, but some apply store-wide. Remember to read all the fine print for dates and exclusions.

Dedicated websites

Dealnews.com flashes plummeting prices in a number of categories, including technology, home goods and clothing. The site summarizes each mark-down, links to its source, tells you how to apply the secret phrase, and compares recent mentions of the same item.

Retailmenot.com claims to have half a million coupons for 50,000 stores. Click through departments such as auto, clothing, furniture, gifts and travel, but try not to get overwhelmed. The company has a mobile app, and an extension for Chrome and Firefox called Genie, which follows you as you shop and lets you combine offers and discounts.

At first glance, coupons.com looks geared toward in-store purchases in that it gives you a clip-and-print feature. But if you delve into its categories, you will discover links to names such as Macy’s, Banana Republic, T-Mobile and Home Depot. You can also add various stores to your favorites to get only their offers. You can, of course, sign up for emails so you’ll be the first to get the scoop on customized deals.

Groupon.com sports a section featuring big brand names. What you see here is distinct from the local options the site is known for. There are many travel deals and a startling array of goods and services, all happily searchable by name or by type.

Apps

Those last two also have apps, but a simple search on your mobile device will pull up many more. A few float to the top in popularity: Shopular seems to lean toward big box stores. Flipp claims an edge in the weekly circular sphere, in an age where supermarkets are happy to deliver and save you a trip. Ebates gets raves for its cash-back option, but your mileage may vary.

Read the reviews (especially the terrible ones), and then download and go through trial-and-error to find the one that's just right.

Keep alert

As you wander the web, you will be tempted by dazzling ads that appear by magic. Depending on your settings for privacy and the like, many of these will be customized for you, meaning that what you see is based on your viewing habits. Try not to get hypnotized.

Before you sign up for email lists, think about the organization of your mailbox. Can you set tabs to organize offers under their own heading? If not, perhaps you’ll want to set up a dedicated shopping account.

When you’re looking at prices, make certain they apply to online stores, and are not restricted to physical locations. Many sites will also try to tempt you with further savings when you spend a minimum on an initial purchase. You might want to resist the urge to level-up. Make sure that you really want to spend right away and that the values you see also look fair. It makes no sense to bust your budget with too much saving.